The Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday signed defenseman Jay Harrison to a three-year contract extension that will pay him $1.5 million per season beginning in 2013-14.

"Jay has developed into a consistent, steadying presence for our defense," general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement. "He is capable of providing both physicality and offense, and we are happy to now have him under contract for the next four seasons."

Harrison, 29, ranked first among Hurricanes defensemen in goals (nine) in 2011-12 and set career highs in goals, assists (14) and points (23) while playing 72 games. The Oshawa, Ontario, native ranked second on the team in blocked shots (132) and was the Hurricanes' nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, which honors sportsmanship, perseverance and dedication to the game of hockey. He was selected by the Carolina chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association as the winner of the Josef Vasicek Award (formerly "Good Guy Award") for media cooperation.

Chosen by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round (No. 82) of the 2001 NHL Draft, Harrison has totaled 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points along with 200 penalty minutes in 202 regular-season NHL games with Toronto and Carolina. The Hurricanes signed Harrison as a free agent on July 9, 2009, and he has 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) in 182 games with Carolina.

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I don't have a crystal ball. Predicting is a real complicated thing. If we stay healthy, have enough depth and get the good goaltending we think we're going to have, you can go all the way. But a lot of things have to happen. There's going to be a lot of teams that think the same thing. Everyone made deals. We're all are optimistic about where we'll end up.

— Rangers general manager Glen Sather after being asked if he's constructed a team that can win the Stanley Cup before their 4-1 win against the Predators on Monday